Continuing the mission

Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone called upon the faithful of Malta to be proud of their Christian heritage, to be ready to defend the family, the sanctity of marriage, of life, and the weaker members of society, in a Letter sent on the occasion of the apostolic visit to the island of Benedict XVI (April 17-18), on the occasion of the 1950th anniversary of the shipwreck of Saint Paul. According to the program Pope Benedict will be welcomed at the Malta International Airport, Luqa, where he will deliver his first speech followed by the Courtesy visit to the President of the Republic in La Valletta. At 7.45 pm His Holiness will visit Saint Paul’s Grotto in Rabat. On April 18 the Pontifical Mass in Floriana with the recitation of the Regina Coeli will be followed by a lunch with the bishops of Malta. At 16.45 Benedict XVI will meet with the youth, the last event before his return to Italy. Strengthening the faith. “Benedict XVI comes among you to strengthen you in your commitment to follow Jesus Christ”, His Eminence wrote. “Malta has remained staunchly faithful to Christ over many centuries, and has done much to defend the faith, both at home and abroad. You may be proud of your Christian heritage, proud of the witness of many generations of Maltese Catholics who have lived out their faith with exemplary devotion, and proud of the apostolic fervour with which countless men and women from your islands have engaged in missionary activity, bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to distant shores”. “The Holy Father – states the message released by the archdiocese of Malta on April 11 – knows how much you are attached to your great heritage, and he invites you to deepen this attachment as a living reality and as a truth that is always relevant, notwithstanding the fact that, in today’s society, this carries the risk of being opposed, ignored or forgotten. Malta speaks with assurance of the need to defend the sanctity of marriage, the centrality of the family for a healthy society, and the need to protect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death. Malta knows how to care for the weaker and more vulnerable members of society, including the unborn. The family also teaches us how to live in solidarity in every area of social and civil life. These are the great truths to which Malta can testify with authority and conviction”. “His Holiness – concludes Cardinal Bertone – urges you in particular to value the great gift of the priesthood and to support and pray for your priests, so that they may grow in gratitude to God and in fidelity and enthusiasm for the ministry”. In their Pastoral Letter the two local prelates, Msgr. Paul Cremona, archbishop of Malta, and Msgr. Mario Grech, bishop of Gozo stated: “It is indeed providential that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has chosen to make this pastoral visit to our country. We encourage everyone to heed the Pope’s message. The Pope will guide us in the proper direction and enable us to open our eyes to our current situation”. “Repentance and sorrow”. Despite the long wait, the visit to Malta of Benedict XVI has been causing polemics due to the sexual abuse scandal, and the allegations against priests in Malta. A few days ago, after the insulting graffiti and censorious posters against the Pope, the Facebook group “No to pope Benedict XVI in Malta” was created, which aready counts 1000 members. In a message to the Maltese faithful released a few days ago, Msgr. Cremona and Msgr. Mario Grech conveyed the “Repentance and contrition” over the sexual abuse scandal. “We sympathize with the victims and feel the need for repentance for the sins of those who committed these abuses – they state in the message -. “Yet we also suffer the humiliation of knowing that these crimes were committed by those who, in the name of the Church, were duty-bound to nurture and protect these young people. This is a moment of humiliation for the entire Church”. The two prelates recall that the Church of Malta was “was one of the first dioceses to take action”. In 1999, it took the necessary measures to set up a council in order to investigate allegations of sexual abuse both on minors, as well as on adults, by members of the clergy, religious and pastoral operators. In the light of the letter which Pope Benedict XVI addressed to the Church in Ireland, “the Church in Malta continues to intensify its commitment towards battling these abuses appeal to all Christians to cooperate with the competent authorities, including the civil authorities. We reiterate that which the Church already stated in 1999: Christians are obliged to cooperate with the Church, rather than disguising facts or remaining silent, in order that this wound may be healed once and for all”. “In spite of the fact that these cases are a source of humiliation for the Church, it must continue to fulfill the mission entrusted to her by God, in favour of mankind’s well being”. “Let us embrace this moment of humiliation and suffering as a call to further unite our mission as a Church together with our human capabilities, recognizing always that these are dependent upon the power of the Holy Spirit”. Testifying to its commitment in this field, the archdiocese of Malta made known that Msgr. Cremona has gladly accepted to meet the victims of abuse who had requested a meeting during a press conference.